A Valentine's Quest (The Valentine's Trilogy) Read online

  A Valentine’s Quest

  The Valentine’s Trilogy, Book Two

  Sam E. Kraemer

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2017 by Sam E. Kraemer

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  Cover photograph: Depositphotos.com

  Pre-reader: Genevieve

  Published by Sam E. Kraemer

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any form, printed or electronic, without the express permission of the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  This book was originally published on free fiction sites under another title, which was owned by the author as well. These characters are the author’s original creations and the events herein are the author’s sole property. No rights to the content of this story are forfeited due to the previous version of the manuscript.

  WARNING: This book contains material which may be offensive to some readers: Graphic language and/or adult situations. It is not suitable for anyone under 18.

  All products/brand names mentioned in this work of fiction are registered trademarks owned by their respective holders/corporations. No trademark infringement intended.

  Dedication:

  This book is dedicated to my loyal readers who I value very much.

  You are the blue skies that chase away my cloudy days.

  Summary:

  I, Derek Little Hawk Valentine, Detective with Houston Police Department in the Vice Squad, met and fell for the love of my life, Gray Carson. Somehow, the man fell in love with me as well, and we’ve made a happy, loving home together. Our life was shaping up to be great…for the most part.

  Unfortunately, there was still a killer out there who had killed two people, one of whom Gray cared for deeply, and one, a stranger who left me with more questions than answers. I needed to find the person who was responsible for the death of Andrew Corner, and who might be a danger to the man I loved, and I needed to do it sooner than later because until I could keep him safe, I couldn’t take the next steps I so desperately wanted. Keeping my Gray safe and finding Andrew’s killer became my charge, and I was determined I’d achieve my goal. I wasn’t one to give up because my prize was far too priceless to fail my quest.

  One

  Derek

  Sitting behind my desk at the 16th Precinct on Friday afternoon had me reviewing the evidence for at least the hundredth time in the murder case of Andrew Corner, a sixteen-year-old boy who had been homeless until he stumbled into Wayne’s Deli where my boyfriend, Gray Carson, worked.

  Andrew’s death was a painful mystery to those of us who knew him, and I was certain there was no way Drew or the other guy, Clark Perkins, had died in that neighborhood and not one living soul had witnessed anything related to the crimes.

  Gray had a heart the whole size of Texas, and he couldn’t walk away from anyone in need, so he didn’t. He befriended the boy, and after his murder, my priority became keeping Gray safe. Until I found the asshole who’d killed young Andrew, I couldn’t be sure who was a suspect and who wasn’t, but I kept looking under every fucking rock I could find.

  Andrew Corner was a sixteen-year-old homeless boy who Gray and his friends at Wayne’s Deli had adopted as their little brother, setting up the kid with a place to live…a mansion owned by Caroline Saunders who was a doyen of Houston society…and a place to work…taking out the trash at the deli every morning. Caroline’s grandson, Cary Saunders, who also worked at the deli, lived in the mansion with her and was rumored to have made a fortune as a video game developer. I found the man to be quite odd when I considered everything about him, but I kept that shit to myself because he was Gray’s friend.

  There had been several conflicting stories regarding the night Drew disappeared, which called into question who was telling the truth. Cary told Gray the boy had confessed true love to him that night, and when Cary didn’t return his feelings, Drew packed up his belongings and left the premises in the middle of the night without a word or a note to the woman who had taken him in and for whom the young man had developed a fond affection, definitely reciprocated by Miss Caroline.

  Unfortunately for Cary, his grandmother had provided me with an entirely different story regarding that last night, and the next morning, Andrew Corner had spent in her home.

  I remembered the previous week when Craig Baxter, my partner at HPD, and I went to Caroline’s mansion to investigate the discrepancies in their individual accountings of Andrew’s last night alive.

  "So, Miss Caroline, can I ask you about the relationship Andrew and Cary had?"

  Her demeanor immediately became defensive. "Detective, is there a reason you're questioning me? Is there something I should know? Should I contact a lawyer?"

  "Miss Caroline, we have a bit of conflicting information regarding Andrew's departure of the premises. You see, you told me Andrew left early that morning after he gave you his savings to hand over to your money manager. You told me he was in good spirits, and he was looking forward to his future.

  "Gray recently relayed a discussion he’d had with Cary the day of the funeral, and Cary said Andrew's death was his fault because the boy had confessed to Cary he was in love with him. Drew stated he understood it would be a few years before they could act on the relationship, and when Cary told him he wasn't gay, he said Drew left the room and went to his own.

  "Cary further stated when he woke the next morning, Drew was gone, along with all of his things. That's a vastly different accounting of events than you gave me," I explained, not quite sure how the hell she'd take the news.

  She glanced at her cell phone and rose from her chair with a calm, well-practiced, smile. "I'm afraid I've forgotten I have another appointment downtown. I’m sorry to have wasted your time. If you don't mind, gentlemen, Gregory will see you out. Thank you for stopping by," she told us as she hurried out of the room. Craig and I returned to the Precinct that day, knowing we had a problem.

  As I continued to make notes regarding the evidence I’d collected, I heard a throat clear and turned to see one of my fellow officers, Josh Moore, at his desk with a file in his hand. “What’re you doing here?” I asked him. He’d worked the previous night shift and was due to be off the rest of the weekend. I’d heard David was on vacation and had put in for a transfer. I felt bad for Josh because it seemed like he was trying to avoid his ex, and I was pretty sure that wasn’t easy. I’d hate it if I was in Josh’s shoes.

  From what Craig told Gray and me regarding the relationship between Josh and David, it seemed the two of them had decided to take a break and David had moved from their shared residence into a furnished apartment, not to my fucking surprise at all.

  Those two assholes had a fight at our football party, and they nearly cost me my relationship with Gray, making ridiculous accusations about Gray being the girl in our relationship. As far as I knew, there was no girl in our relationship, but those two jackoffs didn’t like to see anyone happy due to their self-inflicted misery, so they came into my happy home and turned it upside down. I wished them both the fucking worst.

  “I worked a double. I’m gonna be off for the next few days, and I have a report from last night I need to give the L-T. How’s it going with you and the boy wonder? He dumped your old ass yet for a newer model?” Josh asked with a laugh. I flip
ped him off before I grabbed the shit in the in-basket between my desk and my partner’s while I waited for Craig Baxter to show. We planned to do one more canvassing of the crime-scene neighborhood that afternoon before we went out on hooker-and-john patrol that evening. All the fuck I really wanted was to get home to my man because we had made some plans for the next afternoon after he got home from his job at the deli.

  At the football party, David and Josh had determined I’d never bottom for Gray, which wasn’t the fucking truth at all. I hadn’t ever bottomed for anyone, but for my Gray, the man I loved more than I ever believed I was capable of loving anyone? Fuck yes, I would. They told him he was my wife? Truth be told, I was the one who was definitely dick whipped, as Craig Baxter liked to remind me all the time.

  The next day was to be another step in our relationship…popping one more cherry for Gray and one for me I hadn’t considered until I met him and he actually asked.

  "Derek, would you ever allow me to fuck…to make love to you?"

  I grinned at him because I was happy he’d finally asked for something he wanted. He was always timid with regard to speaking up regarding our sex life, but I was dying to know if there was anything he was missing because I’d give the man anything he ever asked for, and he had to know it. "You bet my sweet ass I would. You wanna sneak away right now? We can go to our bedroom, and you can fuck me as hard as you want to, Gray. I love you. We're equals in this and if David or Josh made you doubt me, then I'll do whatever it takes for you to believe I love you for the man you are.”

  The next day I wasn’t scheduled to work, and I had plans to dissuade my lover of any thoughts regarding one of us being the girl in our relationship. The more I thought about it, the harder I became such that I needed to go to the bathroom and rub one out like a fucking teenager so I could get my mind right to do my fucking job. I sat in the stall of the men’s room on the second floor and closed my eyes, focusing on the beautiful face of the man I loved and his gorgeous fucking cock, almost feeling it sliding between my eager lips. It wasn’t difficult to conjure up his body and the smells and tastes of it from memory because I spent every minute I could get with the man naked.

  “Fuck, Derek, baby. Just…oh, yeah,” Gray moaned as I sucked his hard shaft into my mouth after eating his ass long enough for him to have squealed before he pulled away from me because he wanted to come in my mouth and I was only too happy to oblige.

  His hands gently rubbing my scalp and his fingers in my long hair drove me crazy just like always. I was certain he knew it because he insisted I unbraid it before we went to bed at night and when we made love, his hands tangled in my hair as he pulled me down to kiss him, which was something I loved.

  “I’m about to come. I want you inside of me…if you want to be,” Dream Gray whispered to me. The memory of his soft voice drove me over the edge.

  I placed a paper towel over my cock as it shot off like a rocket. I was breathing hard as I unloaded and when I finally caught my breath, I checked myself to be sure there wasn’t anything dripping in plain sight. I tossed the towel in the commode and hit the flush, tucking myself back into my jeans and adjusting my clothes. I was pretty sure my face was glowing because thoughts of my baby boy got my blood flowing, but with a little splash of cold water, I’d be right as rain.

  Unfortunately, when I walked out of the stall, my partner, Craig, stood leaning against the sink with a cocky smile on his face. “That was either the most satisfying dump you’ve ever taken in your life or you were spankin’ the monkey. Care to clarify?” he teased, the fucker.

  I chucked as I went to wash my hands, seeing the evidence of my very fulfilling orgasm written all over my face. “Well, let me just say this…when you meet a man who has you so fuckin’ horned up you’ve gotta jack off at work to manage bein’ away from him? That’s a guy I want to meet. Anyway, is Josh still out there? I can hardly stand bein’ around the asshole anymore,” I deflected. Baxter was a joker, but he was also a good guy. He could transition to another topic flawlessly.

  “It’s weird, now that you mention it. He was looking at the file on your desk before he saw me come in. He closed it and shoved it under a stack of shit in our inbox before he went to his desk and grabbed shit to leave. He didn’t say ‘hi’, ‘bye’, or ‘kiss my ass’. He said you were in here, so I came to check on you because you’d been gone for a few minutes. I’m glad you didn’t need a ‘hand’,” Craig teased, the fucker.

  I laughed at him. “If I was a single man, I’d take you up on that ‘hand’, but you’ll just have to wonder what it would be like if we got together. Let’s get to work,” I ordered as we walked out to our desks. We quickly filled out the duty log before we went downstairs and got a car for our exciting night of hooker hunting.

  We staked out a side street from the stroll and hopped out of the car. It was a nice night, so we wandered down the block to check out the players on deck, waving to the regulars to alert them we were on duty and if they didn’t want to go to jail, they’d better move it along.

  We were standing against a wall outside a bar when I remembered something Craig had mentioned. “Do you know which file Josh was checkin’ out?”

  Baxter hit my arm and pointed to a man dressed in a nice suit who was walking down the street with what appeared to be a purpose to his step. “Doctor, lawyer?” Craig teased.

  “He ain’t no chief, trust me. How generous are you feeling?” I asked. We could warn the guy away, or we could wait and take him in. The roll on the stroll had changed and the next shift didn’t know we were hidden in the shadows. It was more for those guys’ safety than arresting idiots who were looking to score a good time.

  “Eh? I could go for it if you’re interested,” Craig stated. We both stayed hidden until a kid we knew was underage came out of the shadows and walked up to the guy.

  “If he walks away from Cookie, I’d say we let him go, but if he takes the bait, he’s mine,” I stated, glancing at Craig. He nodded, so we watched the scene. Other hustlers stepped out from the doorways, obviously convinced we’d left, and when the man in the fancy suit turned his attention to one of the guys we knew to be legal, I laughed and gave a call to let them know we were in eyesight and it would be a bad move to engage in business.

  Maybe it was wrong of us, but those guys…the ones above the age of consent…were trying to feed themselves and sometimes additional family. We weren’t trying to starve them or cut into their livelihood, regardless of how much we wished they’d find another profession. It was the young kids we took exception with when they showed up and the seasoned pros didn’t send them on their way.

  All of the regulars disappeared and the man in the suite ran like his ass was on fire. No money changed hands that night, which pissed off the guys, but we didn’t take anyone to jail, either. Not a bad night, in my opinion.

  Two

  Derek

  I woke at eleven on Saturday morning to find a note waiting for me on the nightstand, which always made me smile.

  My handsome man-

  I should be home from work about two. Rest up! I have some very specific plans for tonight which I'm looking forward to pursuing. Breakfast is in the warmer and juice is in the fridge.

  Love you much –

  G

  I folded the note and stowed it in my sock drawer with a few other mementos I’d accumulated over the time I’d been fortunate enough to have the hot blonde as my lover. There were several notes, a few wine corks, and a fortune from a Chinese meal we’d shared which read, “One who loves you greatly is right before your eyes.” I’d glanced up to see Gray staring at me with a sexy smile, and I was even more of a goner. I thanked the heavens every day I’d walked into that greasy diner where he worked. It wasn’t a coincidence; it was truly meant for me to find him.

  Gray Carson was the most romantic man I'd ever met, and when I figured out I loved the romance and class he brought to our relationship, I couldn't get enough of it. Unfortunately, I was flying bl
ind on reciprocating the sentiments because Baxter thought I was an asshole and would never let me forget it if I asked him anything about how to go about romancing the man I loved. I still couldn't forgive or forget the way Gray felt after Josh and David got finished with him, and I was still trying to make up for it in any way that came to me.

  Unfortunately, I was afraid I wasn’t doing enough making it up to him because I’d been singularly focused on finding the person who killed Andrew Corner. Baxter and I had canvassed the neighborhood a few times, coming up with nothing new of note. I still had a nagging suspicion the answer to the whodunit was staring us in the face. That was the thought keeping me awake late at night, along with the nagging concern regarding Gray’s safety.

  He and Andrew were close enough as friends, someone who had a grudge against Andrew might have developed one against my Gray. I’d kill a mother-fucker who ever came at him with evil in their heart. I’d taught that stupid fuck, Trent Monroe, that Gray wasn’t to be messed with on my watch. I was ready for the next asshole who thought they could hurt him without me making certain they were cold in the ground.

  I pulled my mind from the dark thoughts I’d been pondering and hopped up to shower before I consumed the breakfast Gray had prepared for me. After I finished in the bathroom, I slipped on sweats and a t-shirt, making my way to the kitchen where my stomach growled at the smells swirling around the room.

  I found French toast and bacon in the smaller oven on warm, which I proceeded to inhale with gusto. We had plans for the evening, and truth-be-told, I had some plans of my own to make it special so I needed to make the most of my day. I’d done some research regarding bottoming because I wanted it to be great for both of us. At the end of the night, he’d know Josh and David were full of shit to be sure.

  I finished my breakfast and cleaned up the mess before I proceeded to do something I'd never done in my life…I cleaned the house from top to bottom. I scrubbed floors, shook out rugs, dusted under and on top of all the furniture, and even changed the linens on our bed.